


#KeepHerInTheGame

by oddlyfamiliar



Category: Pitch (TV 2016)
Genre: Drabble Collection, F/M, Keep Her In The Game, Renew Pitch Campaign
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-28
Updated: 2017-04-13
Packaged: 2018-10-12 07:22:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,906
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10485402
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/oddlyfamiliar/pseuds/oddlyfamiliar
Summary: A collection of drabbles to thank people for sending in baseballs as part of@pitchstreetteam's #RenewPitch campaign! Please checkthis postfor more info! (It's not too late to send things in!)





	1. Away Game

**Author's Note:**

> Don’t forget to send in your baseballs to Fox! For more details, check out [@pitchstreetteam](https://pitchstreetteam.tumblr.com/)'s post [here](https://pitchstreetteam.tumblr.com/post/157628725525/march-keepherinthegame-baseball-campaign).
> 
> (And don’t forget to fill out the form on that post when you send your baseballs!)
> 
> And in honour of [this post](https://alwayskels.tumblr.com/post/157615632769/pitch-street-team-presents-drabbles-for-baseballs), I’ve written a few drabbles to thank people for sending in their baseballs already.

## For the prompt: [Away Game](http://oddlyfamiliar.tumblr.com/post/158791732206/keepherinthegame)

Ginny’s twenty-fourth birthday falls right in the middle of an away series against the Braves. In a way, she’s glad. She hasn’t made a big deal about her birthday since her pop died and their tradition of going out for ice cream together died with him, so she’s fine with having a quiet day.

Her mom called earlier to wish her happy birthday. Will left her a message; the first time they’ve had any communication in months. Both Eliot and Cara text her with promises of going out for drinks when she was back home. And even though they broke up months ago, Noah sent her a message wishing her a great day.

She has no intention of telling any of the guys that it’s her birthday. She’s not due to start until they’re back in San Diego, which means she doesn’t need to worry too much about a hangover, so her plans for tonight consist of raiding her mini-bar and moping alone in her hotel room.

So when Ginny walks into the visitor’s clubhouse at SunTrust Park, she’s definitely not expecting the whole team, plus Evy and Cara and Eliot and her mom, thankfully without Kevin, to all be waiting for her. There’s whoops and cheers and shouts of “happy birthday” all around the room, as she tries to blink away the sudden tears sneaking up on her. She honestly can’t believe they all went to such lengths for her.

Between hugs, she catches glimpses of the rest of the room. There’s a huge banner draped across the wall, _CONGRATS ON GETTING OLDER_ , written across it in Padres blue. And in the center of the room, there’s an ice cream station.

“How…” she trails off, her mind racing as she tries to figure out who planned this. Evy squeezes her extra hard, before stepping back so Blip can get his birthday hug.

“A little birdy found out about your old tradition,” Ev says, her eyes twinkling with barely hidden glee.

“Did you two do this?” Ginny asks. She thumps Blip in the arm to cover for the fact that she’s genuinely getting emotional about this.

“It wasn’t us,” is all Blip will say before spinning her around and pushing her towards her mom.

“Happy birthday, baby,” she says as she gathers Ginny into her arms. They might not have the best relationship in the world, but they’re both trying, and that’s good enough for now.

“How did you manage to organize all of this, mom?” Ginny asks as she pulls away, her eyes still flitting around the room in shock at everyone there for her.

“Oh, it wasn’t me,” her mom says, a secretive smile on her face. “One of your friends tracked me down and asked me what you might want for your birthday, so I mentioned how you and your pop always used to have ice cream together and before I knew it, this was all arranged.” She glances meaningfully over to the side, and when Ginny follows her gaze, she sees Mike grinning with Gabe slung upside down over his shoulder and Marcus almost in tears laughing at his brother.

“Lawson did this?” Ginny asks quietly, her eyes cutting towards her mom before they return to watching Mike as he plays with the boys.

“Mmhmm,” her mom responds, then narrows her eyes at Ginny. “He likes you.”

“What?” Ginny snaps her head around to stare at her mom. “I mean, yeah, we’re friends, he’s my catcher. Of course he likes me, but it’s not like he _likes_ me likes me.”

Her mom just smiles softly as Ginny feels herself blush at how much she just sounded like she was fourteen again, instead of twenty-four.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought; you like him, too.”

“Mom, don’t– I can’t–”

“It’s okay, you don’t need to say anything, just… don’t wait too long to do something about it, baby.”

Ginny just nods, unsure of what she should say, but her mom just smiles at her and moves away to talk to Ev and Blip.

“Baker,” Mike says softly from behind her, and when she turns around her captain is standing there, hands in his pockets, his face carefully blank. “Happy birthday.”

“Thanks,” she smiles tightly, glancing around the room and quickly seeing that there’s no way in hell they’re gonna be able to get any privacy in here. “Can we…” she trails off and hooks her thumb over her shoulder, indicating that she wants to move outside.

“Uh, sure,” Mike frowns, then guides her out of the room with a hand at the small of her back. He suddenly snatches it back when she leans into his touch, as though he’s only just realized he was even doing it. He clears his throat and points to a small door further down the corridor, and she follows him into what appears to be a storage closet.

Ginny turns to face him, the harsh light showing the thin streaks of gray in his beard. It’s weird how attractive she finds it.

“What did you need?” Mike asks, not meeting her gaze.

“Thank you.”

“For what?”

Ginny snorts a laugh through her nose. “You know exactly what for, Mike,” she says, her hand gesturing back out towards the clubhouse. “You didn’t have to do all of this.”

He finally looks at her. “Yeah, I did.”

There’s a moment of silence where they just look at each other, before Ginny gathers her courage up and steps closer. She throws her arms around his shoulders and buries her face into his neck, settling further into him as he wraps his arms around her waist.

“You’re welcome,” he breathes into her hair while she tries not to shiver at the sensation. They both pull back after a long minute, her hair catching on his beard, then they step away from each other in unison.

She doesn’t say anything else, just smiles at him, then goes back to her ice cream party.

Maybe her birthday isn’t so bad after all.


	2. Bawson

## For the prompt: [Bawson](http://oddlyfamiliar.tumblr.com/post/158859910585/keepherinthegame-2)

_(note: this is a version of a soulmate AU)_

 

It all changed after World War II. The experts and academics could never agree how, and there were a couple of different theories on _why_ , but they all agree that everything changed then.

Before? There was one person, _one person_ , in the whole world that was for you. One person whose soul complemented yours perfectly. All the texts on the subject document people feeling an irresistible urge, a drive, to find that person. And once they did? All they had to do was lock eyes, and they’d know. It varied from person to person, but sometimes the connection was even palpable enough for other people in the area to notice it.

Now? Well, now it’s all different. There isn’t just _one_ anymore, at least, not for most people. One of the strongest theories is that after such a large scale loss of life, the fates had to adapt to the fact that whole lifelines had been changed. And that’s not all that changed; the connections between soulmates seem to be weaker, to the extent that direct skin contact is needed. And you’d be lucky if you managed to get a feeling as strong as a static shock, certainly not something that comes close to the epic encounters of the past.

Mike thinks it’s all bullshit.

Right up until he meets Rachel Patrick.

She’s interviewing him towards the end of his rookie year, and when he walks in and shakes her hand, the static charge makes the hairs on his arm stand on end.

Judging by the look of surprise on her face, she feels the same thing.

They take it as a sign, and they’re married within the year. Mike’s happy. Sure, he hadn’t really believed in all that stuff, but deep down… he’d hoped. His parents definitely hadn’t been soulmates, so he knew growing up that life wasn’t a magical fairytale, but he’d secretly wanted to find that one other person. Someone who would just get him.

Except, it turns out that he’s not the only person for Rachel. She says she’s sorry, that she couldn’t help it, that fate was driving her towards him. Towards _David_. Apparently, when they touched the first time, it made her ponytail stand on end with the static charge.

Mike should have known that having a soulmate was too good to be true. That it doesn’t mean you both feel the same way about each other. And so he buries himself in a line of groupies. He doesn’t even think about trying to have a serious relationship, because what are the odds that he’ll ever find someone like Rachel again?

When he meets Ginny Baker and slaps her ass, he figures the slight tingle he feels running through his hand is from the force of the hit. After all, it takes direct skin contact to find your soulmate, so it’s obviously nothing to do with that.

Which is why he’s so completely and utterly blindsided when, during her second start, Mike puts the ball into her waiting palm and the very tip of his little finger brushes lightly against her skin.

And the shockwave that pulses out from them knocks out all the power in the park.

It knocks out all the power in a five-block radius.

He has no idea what this means, but when the emergency generators kick in and low lights shine around the park, he’s pretty sure that the shock in her eyes is mirrored in his.

“What the hell was that?” she hisses, her voice shaky with panic.

Mike has no idea what to say.


	3. Bawson Babies

## For the prompt: [Bawson Babies](http://oddlyfamiliar.tumblr.com/post/158938040183/keepherinthegame-3)

“Okay kiddo,” Al says, shifting Livvy on his hip, “let’s pretend we didn’t hear Uncle Sonny say that, yeah?”

Livvy nods seriously, her entire focus on him. “‘Kay,” she agrees as she chews on her apple slices and looks out at the mound, “momma says it too ‘nd we have to pretend she didn’t.”

Sonny grins and drops a kiss on top of Livvy’s head. “Can I have some apple?”

She giggles and shakes her head, her curls bouncing under her Padres cap. “Nope,” she says as she hides the rest of her slices from him.

Al puts her down on the bench so she can reach her juice, then keeps one eye on the game and the other on her. Sonny and Javanes sit down on either side of her and keep her occupied, playing games with her and even reading one of her books, the pair of them doing silly voices. Al’s not sure who they’re entertaining more: Livvy or themselves.

Finally, Ginny gets the last strikeout of the inning, then she and Mike are quickly making their way over to the dugout, obviously desperate to check on their kid. Al would be offended that they don’t think he can look after her, but he remembers how he used to be when any of his girls were sick, so he’s not gonna take it personally.

“How is she, Skip?” Ginny says the second she’s close enough, running down the steps to get to her while Mike takes his gear off.

“She’s good,” Al says, stepping out of the way so Ginny can get through, “her fever is down, she’s eaten all her apple slices, and she’s got these two idiots for entertainment.”

She nods gratefully at him before scooping up her daughter and resting her on her hip. “Hey baby, you feeling better?”

Livvy presses her tiny hands to Ginny’s cheeks and kisses her mom, before nodding. “Uncle Sonny said a bad word.”

Sonny throws his hands in the air. “I thought we had an agreement, kid?” he says, his tone filled with exaggerated shock.

“I’ve taught her better than to make deals with any of you lot,” Mike says as he joins them, then leans over to rub his beard on Livvy’s cheeks, making her squeal and attracting the attention of Rob, who swings his camera round to show the crowd the adorable family reunion happening in the dugout.

Al glances up at the big screen and smiles softly at the sight they make; Livvy in her tiny “Baker 43” jersey, the sole attention of her parents, and a living example that having a female player on the team doesn’t change a damn thing. All the debate that had surrounded Ginny when she first moved up, when the world found out about her relationship with Mike, and when she announced her pregnancy, all of it had been proved pointless. Not only was the team working fine together, they were playing the best season they had in a _long_ time. Al wouldn’t be surprised if they got into the playoffs this year.

He smiles as one by one, the guys all line up to get a good luck high-five from Livvy before they go up at bat. It’s definitely an usual situation, and it’s never one he thought he’d have to deal with when he first started this job, but he wouldn’t change it for the world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know that we're into April now, but if you haven't sent your baseballs yet... do it now!!! And if you're interested in how else you can help, [check out the April campaign](https://pitchstreetteam.tumblr.com/post/159047987140/april-keepherinthegame-campaign-plans) :D <3


	4. Padres Team Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooops I forgot to update this with the last chapter. Forgive me?

## For the prompt: [Padres Team Time](http://oddlyfamiliar.tumblr.com/post/159010982984/keepherinthegame-4)

“C’mon, Ginny,” Dusty grins as he nudges her with his shoulder, “you’re not gonna let ‘im win, are you?”

She raises an eyebrow and scratches lightly at her jaw as she pretends to consider. “What do I get out of it?”

“The satisfaction of proving Lawson wrong?” Duarte winks at her and drains the last of his beer, his smug sprawl across the booth, and the way it’s annoying Mike, amusing her.

“Hey, if you don’t wanna get up there, just gimme the twenty bucks now and we’ll call it even,” Mike offers, a glint in his eye showing how much shit he’d give her if she backs out.

“Okay,” she says, getting to her feet, “I’m gonna get up there and wipe the floor with you, _captain_ , and then you can beg for forgiveness.”

As she walks up to the stage, she can hear Mike muttering about how he’s heard her humming before, so he’s not worried, and she tries not to let her own smirk show. She picks her song and waits for the person on stage to finish up, glancing over at the tables all pushed together with the guys in various stages of intoxication sprawled all over them. Blip is shaking with laughter and slapping Mike’s shoulder, obviously enjoying the fact that he actually _knows_ what she sounds like when she sings, but Mike just looks like he thinks he’s about to get the last laugh.

Well, he’s gonna have to eat his words soon.

It’s only another minute before she’s walking up on stage, squinting out into the bright lights to see the whole team whooping and cheering for her, all except Mike, who’s sitting with his arms crossed and shaking his head at her.

When the opening notes of the song ring out, she closes her eyes for a second and steadies herself; it’s been a long time since she’s done this in public, but it’s worth it just to put Mike back in his place.

She opens her mouth and sings, her voice causing a hush to ring out across the bar as pretty much everyone stops to listen. It’s nerve-wracking, but the looks of pure shock on the faces of most of the Padres sitting back at her table is enough to keep her going.

Javanes is frozen, his drink halfway to his mouth. Omar looks like he’s about to fall out of his seat. Sonny and Sal look completely dumbfounded.

But best of all? Mike’s jaw has literally dropped.

Ginny gets through the whole song with the entire bar in silence and when she finishes, there’s a roar of cheering; she catches a few phones being held up, obviously recording her, and she wonders how long it’ll be before her stint performing karaoke is all over social media. She takes a quick bow before jumping off the stage and walking back over to the table, waiting until she sits down to acknowledge any of them.

All she does is hold her hand out, palm up, in Mike’s direction and waits.

When he places the twenty in her hand, she folds it up and tucks it into the strap of her bra before taking a sip of her neglected beer.

“I’m sorry, Lawson, I couldn’t quite hear you over the sound of my adoring crowd,” she teases, while she fist bumps Blip without looking.

There’s a loud sigh, before Mike finally speaks, his voice flat. “You’re a better ballplayer than I am and the beard makes me look like a hobo.”

Ginny laughs long and loud, the rest of the guys joining in her mocking of their captain. Mike’s pretending to be annoyed, but she can see the small smile on his face as he looks around at his team.

She needles him until he agrees to buy her next drink, and as he heads over to the bar, she sits back in her seat and sighs happily. Things might be rough with her mom and brother, she hasn’t spoken to Amelia in months, and she’s only just started pitching again after her injury, but she’s _happy_.

These guys, this team, they’re her family. And she loves them all.

Even if they do something stupid, like bet against her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know that we're into April now, but if you haven't sent your baseballs yet... do it now!!! And if you're interested in how else you can help, [check out the April campaign](https://pitchstreetteam.tumblr.com/post/159047987140/april-keepherinthegame-campaign-plans) :D <3

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to say hi on [tumblr](http://oddlyfamiliar.tumblr.com/)!


End file.
